The present tense: irregular verbs - Easy Learning Grammar French

Some verbs in French do not follow the normal rules. These verbs include some very common and important verbs like avoir (meaning to have), être (meaning to be),faire (meaning to do, to make) and aller (meaning to go). The present tense of these four verbs is given in full below.

For Verb tables, see supplement.

1The present tense of avoir

Pronoun

avoir

Meaning: to have

j’

ai

I have

tu

as

you have

ilelleon

a

he/she/it/one has

nous

avons

we have

vous

avez

you have

ilselles

ont

they have

J’ai deux sœurs.

I have two sisters.

Il a les yeux bleus.

He has blue eyes.

Elle a trois ans.

She’s three.

Qu’est-ce qu’il y a?

What’s the matter?

2The present tense of être

Pronoun

être

Meaning:to be

je

suis

I am

tu

es

you are

ilelleon

est

he/she/it/one is

nous

sommes

we are

vous

êtes

you are

ilselles

sont

they are

Je suis heureux.

I’m happy.

Mon père est instituteur.

My father’s a primary school teacher.

Il est deux heures.

It’s two o’clock.

3The present tense of faire

Pronoun

faire

Meaning: to do, to make

je

fais

I do/makeI am doing/making

tu

fais

you do/makeyou are doing/making

ilelleon

fait

he/she/it/one does/makeshe/she/it/one is doing/making

nous

faisons

we do/makewe are doing/making

vous

faites

you do/makeyou are doing/making

ilselles

font

they do/makethey are doing/making

Je fais un gâteau.

I’m making a cake.

Qu’est-ce que tu fais?

What are you doing?

Il fait chaud.

It’s hot.

Ça ne fait rien.

It doesn’t matter.

4The present tense of aller

Pronoun

aller

Meaning: to go

je

vais

I goI am going

tu

vas

you goyou are going

ilelleon

va

he/she/it/one goeshe/she/it/one is going

nous

allons

we gowe are going

vous

allez

you goyou are going

ilselles

vont

they gothey are going

Je vais à Londres.

I’m going to London.

‘Comment allez-vous?’ – ‘Jevais bien.’

‘How are you?’ – ‘I’m fine.’

‘Comment ça va?’ – ‘Ça va bien.’

‘How are you?’ – ‘I’m fine.’

5Irregular -ir verbs

Many irregular verbs that end in -ir, such as partir (meaning to go) and tenir (meaning to hold), have a common pattern in the singular. The je and tu forms often end in -s, and the il/elle/on form often ends in -t.

Pronoun

partir

tenir

je

pars

tiens

tu

pars

tiens

il/elle/on

part

tient

Je pars demain.

I’m leaving tomorrow.

Elle tient le bébé.

She is holding the baby.

For Verb tables, see supplement.

Key points

Some very important French verbs are irregular, including avoir, être, faire and aller. They are worth learning in full.